This invention relates to a heat transfer recording apparatus having an ink donor film which is free from any skew.
A heat transfer recording apparatus records information in such a way that the hot-melt ink applied to one surface of the base for an ink donor film is melted in accordance with pictorial information, and transferred onto recording paper. The melting of the solid ink is carried out in such a way that a thermal head (thermal recording head) is brought into contact with the ink donor film moving in the scanning direction, and heat is transmitted to the solid ink through the film base. The ink donor film is required to be as thin as several tens of microns in order to ensure transmission of heat, and proper resolution.
If the film is so thin, however, the ink donor film is very likely to skew when it is subjected to any tension caused by error in the positioning of various parts of the film transport. Any such skew produces a wave on the ink donor film in a direction which is perpendicular to that of its travel, and a wrinkle is formed thereon in the area between the thermal head and the back roll. The wrinkle on the ink donor film disables recording of information by heat transfer. Accordingly, it has heretofore been necessary in a heat transfer recording apparatus to ensure a high degree of accuracy in the fabrication and positioning of parts in the transportation system for the ink donor film and the supply roll for the ink donor film. This has hindered reduction in the cost of the apparatus.